A Web of Deceit
by thesiriuswriter
Summary: Harry and Hermione, together with The Order join together to fight the final battle. Harry and Hermione share a night together and then after the battle everything goes to hell. Harry gets caught up in a web of deceit and it's Hermione who suffers.
1. Chapter 1

A Web of Deceit.

**Chapter 1**

Hermione opened her eyes and sighed. She was still alive, still breathing, still existing. Her life had become such a mess. She got out of bed, got dressed in an old shirt and pants and went to pour herself a strong coffee and lit up her first cigarette for the morning. She walked outside and sat down on the small outdoor settee that sat on her balcony. It was a nice time of the year, April, a lovely time to get married she supposed. She looked around for her overflowing ashtray and spotted the book that had led to the opening of her recent string of memories. A leather bound diary with the initials HJG printed in gold calligraphy on the bottom right hand corner.

Inside it had the inscription,

_To my best friend, I hope you find some peace with this diary, love you now and forever H._

What a bloody liar.

When did all of this happen, oh wait, she knew exactly when it all happened. The first few pages of the diary reminded her of exactly when it all began.

It was years ago when life was so easy, way back in Hogwarts. Well as easy as it could be while battling a war. Harry, Ron and Hermione were too busy planning attacks, trying to stay alive and trying to keep their friends alive to worry about anything that normal teenagers worried about. It was during one of those attacks that Harry and Hermione were separated from the main group and as it had been rehearsed many times, if anyone was separated they would make their way to a safe house. Harry apparated them both to the closest house and Hermione instantly placed the strongest wards around the small one room, one bed flat. He got some food and they quickly went over the problems that arose to them being separated from the main group. They ate and then sat in silence waiting, whether it was for other Order members to arrive or Death eaters to kill them, they just waited. Hermione started to doze off so Harry told her to take the bed and since she didn't have the energy to argue, she laid down and quickly fell asleep while Harry watched her. The time ticked on and it was getting colder, the snow was falling outside the abandoned building and the cold air rushed into the small room through the many cracks. Harry noticed she was starting to shiver and he laid down next to her to keep her warm. His exhaustion took over quickly and as he cuddled up next to her, he too fell into a deep sleep. They were so entangled with each others body that it was hard to determine which body part belonged to whom. Harry woke first but it was seconds later that Hermione opened her eyes. He stared at her and neither one knows who moved first but the next thing they knew they were kissing frantically. It quickly escalated and they fumbled over their clothes and couldn't seem to coordinate themselves. It was both their first times and it was not the romantic love making that one wishes it would be. No, it was frantic, messy and uncoordinated but it was the two of them and they trusted each other immensely. When it was done, only minutes later, they didn't feel the need to talk, they both dressed and then Harry said where they would be apparating to.

The missions continued with nothing being said about their union at all.

It was months later when the two of them were alone together again. Hermione went to bed early and she didn't think about it because Harry had his own bed. But after she had been asleep for about an hour, she felt him tap her and then wordlessly slide in next to her. Hermione had been facing the other way but when he got in she turned around and rubbed her hands over his chest. She rubbed his back and found that she loved the sound of him moaning under her touch. Harry kissed her and the intensity grew quickly but Hermione wanted to savour it this time. She slowly turned him over so he was laying on his stomach and even though he was confused at first, once she climbed onto his back with her clothes off and started massaging him, he groaned as she massaged the knots out of his neck and shoulders. It was only a few minutes later when Harry turned around and grabbed her to kiss her again. Harry swung her under him and managed to remove his pants and kiss her with as much passion as he could muster. This time they took it slowly and they both enjoyed themselves immensely, Harry kissed her neck and shoulders and down to her breasts. Hermione moaned and arched into his mouth and it spurred him on even more. She was so wound up that as soon as Harry touched her she exploded and Harry entered her quickly then he drove her home until they were both trembling with their own intense orgasms. Harry's body shook with small after tremors and Hermione held him tightly till they fell asleep.

The following morning Harry and Hermione got dressed in silence but before they went to apparate, he leaned in and kissed her passionately then pulled her in tightly running his hands through her hair.

"Harry, I think we need to talk?" Harry looked at her and ran his fingers down her cheek and he slowly placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss. It was heated and passionate and Hermione was too scared to pull away, afraid it was the goodbye kiss.

It was quite amazing that they both continued to work together without any questions, no discomfort, nothing, they just continued to work and the others were none the wiser. The war continued on and the fighting became more and more frequent. More of the team members were being separated and when people were being caught alone and of guard by Death eaters, Sirius and Lupin decided that no-one in the team would be separated again so he paired everyone up. Each partner would not leave the other under any circumstances whatsoever. Everyone was paired up with a female and just before Sirius read out the list Harry whispered something to him. Hermione watched him and she couldn't help but wonder what he asked and then when Sirius called out his name with Ginny Weasley and her name with Neville Longbottom she clearly understood. Harry wanted to be as far away from her as possible.

Time again was her enemy, it just kept leaving her like everything else in her life. The battles continued and Hermione was very grateful for the leather bound diary Harry had given her for her birthday the year before the war began. It was her sanity, her saving grace... her only friend. She wrote in it the two times her and Harry were together and she read over it to keep the memories alive.

It was again another month later when the group, now considerably smaller, were living at Grimmauld's place. It was getting closer to the end of the war . The team had managed to destroy every horcrux and they were closing in on Voldemort with each attack. Hermione's brain was physically hurting but she didn't have time to relax because they had to plan strategic battles and attacks for the next few days. Hermione had not spoken to Harry or slept with him for months now and she honestly believed it was over but later that night when everyone was asleep and she was still going over battle attacks, Harry came down to bring her a hot coffee.

"Thanks Harry, I just can't get this attack planned out right, every time I play it through something goes wrong. It's doing my head in." Hermione put both hands on her head and grunted in frustration. Harry took her hands in his and stood her up. She stood up with him and smiled and then as she was thanking him for the coffee again, Harry leant forward and pressed his lips to hers and pulled her in tightly to his body and she responded to him instantly. The desire grew and then Harry laid her down on the lounge, there was no time for romantic gestures so he removed his pants while she took off her pyjamas pants. Harry entered her quickly and the feelings that were bottled up inside both of them contributed to their quick encounter. After they were both finished, Hermione stood up to get dressed and was shocked when Harry spoke to her.

"Mione, I am probably going to die tomorrow." Hermione gasped and spun around, "No Harry you can't say that."

Harry looked at her with such pain in his eyes, Hermione started to cry. She knew it was goodbye, Harry wasn't planning on coming out of the war tomorrow. She felt his arms surround her body and she cried into his chest. Then an urgency struck her and she pulled away quickly surprising Harry.

"No you can't die Harry, never Harry, do you hear me?" Hermione was becoming frantic and all Harry could do was hold her tight. He couldn't comfort her because he honestly believed he was right. This would be his last night with his beloved Hermione and he wanted to make it last. He kissed her again and this time he led her up stairs to his room. He was the only one with his own room and he did this for this reason exactly. They spent the whole night together and this time they were actually making love, nothing frantic, nothing rushed, just the two of them spending their last quality moments together. As Hermione listened to Harry's breathing deepen, she whispered in his ears that she loved him and then she fell into a deep sleep. Harry laid there with his eyes wide open and he replayed those three words over and over and over in his mind.

The war continued on for another two months and exhaustion and sickness was starting to take its toll on everyone. A few of the guys were run down but Hermione was the worst, she was tired and pale and she kept throwing up every minute of the day. The problem was that they were so short on people and they couldn't afford for anyone to not take their positions so as a result everyone was getting more and more worn out.

It was the final day, Voldemort obviously felt that he had the upper hand as he stayed and fought instead of fleeing as he had done so many times before. The main battle went for ages, or that's how it felt but what made it worse was that Hermione lost sight of Harry for quite a while. She was battling another masked death eater, when she managed to finish him off and she came around a bunch of trees only to see Harry in a duel with Riddle. Everything happened so slowly that she was sure it went for an hour but in reality it was only seconds. Hermione looked over to her left and saw a death eater raise his wand to Harry's back while he was fighting Voldemort. She looked at him and started to run towards Harry, it was the first thing she thought of in her moment of madness. Later she would say she should of stunned him or used an unforgivable curse, but at this minute she didn't think of anything else, she just ran, ran straight towards Harry. She saw the death eater raise his wand and she saw him mouth the curse and then she saw the coloured light leave his wand and fly straight towards Harry. She screamed no and then ran as fast as she could. She turned at the last second and as she was now in the path of the curse and between it and Harry, who had no idea of what was happening behind him, she raised her wand to place a shield around herself but it was too late.

The spell hit her straight in the chest but it felt like her whole body was on fire. All the noise of the battle slowly faded and she felt herself falling. As she landed she turned to look at Harry, who was screaming no and trembling as each tear streamed down his face while she collapsed to the floor. He turned around still shaking from anger and mouthed the final curse that killed Voldemort. She allowed her eyes to close and the darkness enveloped her, finally able to rest knowing Harry was safe, finally in peace.

Hermione slammed her diary shut, it did not do well to dwell on the past. She got up from her seat and rubbed her arms, there was a slight chill in the air and with her old shirt on she could feel every breeze. Hermione stood up and walked inside and took a look around her modest flat.

It was a small two bedroom flat, one was her bedroom and the other was an office with a make shift bed. Hermione worked in research and when she got a name for herself, she left the hospital and started working independently from home. It was good for a little while but because she kept herself busy, she didn't realise she was becoming more and more isolated. She made very good money but she never felt the need to buy extravagant things so the only expensive thing she ever bought was her modest home. When she turned 17, her mother told her she was expecting a baby and even though it was the biggest shock at first, Hermione enjoyed having a younger sister. Emerald was 14 years old and much to her parents worry, was also a witch and had started Hogwarts three years ago. Hermione mostly bought gifts for her sister but besides that her money just piled up in Gringott's. Her isolation was certainly self inflicted and over the years she had managed to alienate her friends too.

Hermione walked into the kitchen and the calendar on her fridge reminded her of why she was feeling like death warmed up, tomorrow was Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood's wedding.

The problem was HE would be there, Harry would be at their wedding for sure, he would probably be the best man.

Where the hell did it all go wrong? Hermione said out loud and opened the fridge door and seeing nothing that interested her she slammed it shut. She walked out into the lounge room and as she wondered down the small hallway her memories continued to invade her mind. Hermione ran a hot bath and walked back outside to retrieve her diary. After placing a warming spell on her bath she sunk into the water and continued reading.

_One week after the war._

Hermione opened her eyes in the hospital wing of Hogwarts and squinted as the light burned her pupils. She tried to sit up but her entire body ached, she felt like she had just gone twenty rounds with a boxer. Madame Pomfrey rushed over when she heard her gasp and quickly ran her wand over Hermione's body to check her vitals.

"Miss Granger, what do you remember?" Hermione was actually startled at the softness in her voice, in all her years at Hogwarts she had never heard Madame Pomfrey be nice to anyone.

"Umm, I'm not sure, I remember Harry... Harry OH MY GOD where is Harry? Is he ok? Did he beat Voldemort?"..."

"Miss Granger please..." Madame Pomfrey had to stop her before she started to hyperventilate.

"...Mr Potter is fine Miss Granger, besides a few battle scars and an insufferable attitude you can believe me he is just fine. Now I asked you Miss Granger what do you remember?"

Hermione slowed down her breathing and tried to remember as much from the fight as possible. She told Madame Pomfrey that she remembered the fight, she remembered seeing a death eater shoot a spell towards Harry and then she used herself to block it." Hermione's eyes teared up and then Madame Pomfrey told her something that she would never recover from.

"Miss Granger I am very sorry to tell you that I was unable to save your unborn child. I tried my best but there was too much internal damage. I'm very sorry Hermione dear."

Hermione felt the walls close in and the roof fall down on top of her at the sound of those words. The white on the walls was instantly too bright and if she had eaten she was sure her stomach would have left her body at that moment. The heat started from her toes and travelled up to her head and then she felt like she was falling or even floating. She could see Madame Pomfrey's worried look on her face, she could see her wand moving over her own face and head but she could hear nothing just the deep pounding of her heart. Hermione closed her eyes and let the darkness consume her pain once again.

Those words rang in Hermione's head for months and months and the pain still had not subsided to this day. It all made sense to her now, the sickness, the vomiting and the excessive tiredness. She was carrying and she lost Harry's baby, a son. The devastation was almost too much to handle but when Harry confronted her about it, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. For reasons unknown to Hermione, Harry had found out that she lost their baby and he was brutal. He accused her of doing it deliberately and for some unknown reason she couldn't make him listen to reason. He just had it in his head that she was to blame and that was that.

Hermione spent many months recovering and grieving the loss of her unborn child and also the loss of her best friend. The media were having a field day with the end of the war and constantly requested the group for interviews. At one particular interview for the Daily Chronicle, Harry walked in and saw Hermione sitting down in the waiting room. They made eye contact and the look of disgust on his face said it all. He turned around and walked out and from that day on Hermione never went for another interview again.

Hermione threw the book down and grunted out loud. Why did she constantly put herself through this pain. The pain of remembering and the pain of losing. She got out of the bath and got dressed for the day. Hermione heard the familiar tap of an owl demanding delivery of his letter.

_Hey Mione, _

_I am coming home for the weekend, is it ok to stay with you cause Mum and Dad are overseas on a dental trip._

_Thanks Sis_

_Love you, Emmie_

_xoxoxo_

_PS see you at 11am. _

Hermione closed the letter and fed the owl a treat and watched him fly away into the distance. She sighed and looked at her watch, it was already 10.30 so her sister would be here in half an hour. Even though Hermione didn't entertain or was she an untidy person, the house still looked like it was unlived in. Dust gathered on the mantel piece where two photos sat that used to have pride of place. The lounge sat unused as did the arm chairs and the dining table. Hermione sighed yet again and summoned her wand from her bedroom, the only room that showed it had an occupant and the wand flew the air with a renewed enthusiasm. Hermione waved her wand around and all the articles in the room puffed up and polished up, all looking brand new waiting for it's bubbly new house guest.

Hermione walked back to the kitchen remembering that the fridge was painfully barren. She glanced at her watch wondering if she had any time to grab something but at the same time she heard the floo open in her lounge room, signalling her sister's arrival.

"Mione, Mione I'm here, a bit early but I'm here," Hermione smiled and walked out to greet her sister.

Emerald saw her and ran into her big sisters arms. They hugged for a long while and Hermione stepped back still holding her in her arms to look at her. Emerald was nothing short of stunning. She had long golden brown hair that seemed to lay perfectly in ringlets down her back. Her skin was milky white but without a single freckle, spot or blemish on it. Emerald's eyes were the only resemblance she had to her sister. They were deep golden brown with golden flecks in them.

"Emerald, you look beautiful, how's Hogwarts treating you?" Hermione smiled at her enthusiasm. If there was one significant difference between the two, it was that Emerald was the bubbly, outgoing chatterbox where as Hermione was still painfully quiet and shy.

"I LOVE it, it is so much fun, Professor McGonnagel is the best in the whole school but don't tell Professor Snape, he thinks I think he's the best." Hermione's eyebrows flew up into her hair line,

"Professor Snape, did you say Professor Snape?" Emerald laughed, "He said you wouldn't believe me but he is sooooo cool now." Hermione nodded but it was still a bit unbelievable. She suggested they get some food shopping done and Emerald continued chatting filling in her sister of all the details of life at Hogwarts while they filled the trolley.

Hermione was actually happy that she had come to stay, it had been last Christmas that they had been together and she found she missed her little sister terribly.

"So Sis what are you wearing to the wedding tomorrow because I need something I have nothing at all?" Hermione sighed, "I don't know whether I should go."

"Yes you will go and I want to dress you so you don't look like you're a hundred years old!"

"What Emerald, I am not a hundred years old thank you very much." Emerald continuing walking, mumbling under her breath, _nah but you dress like you're 100._ The smirk on her face was enough to spur Hermione on.

They arrived at Madame Maulkins and they walked straight down the back to the formal wear. Hermione started looking through some dresses and she pulled out a light purple dress that had buttons down the front, gathered at the waist and fell to the knee.

"DIS-GUST-ING!" she heard from behind her. Hermione turned around and saw Emerald holding a long emerald dress that had diamonds on it.

"What is that?" Hermione asked folding her arms knowing full well her sister wouldn't rest till she chose her a dress.

"Come on Mione, try it on." Hermione shook her head and turned back to the rack of clothes but as little sisters can sometimes be ruthless in their quests to get their own way, Hermione had no choice but to try it on. She walked out into the mirrored section and all she heard was a gasp from Emerald.

"Mione that is so beautiful, we are getting it." Hermione looked into the mirror and secretly she was pleased with what she saw. Even though she always wore oversized shirts and daggy pants or skirts, she had a beautiful curved figure under it all and this dress showed it perfectly. It was an off the shoulder emerald sequenced dress with silver diamontes coming across the top of the breast line and down the middle of her chest and body to meet half way down her thighs which was where the split in the front of the dress started. The dress gently touched the floor at the back so with some high heels on, it would float beautifully. It took Emerald half an hour to chose her dress and even Hermione agreed, which was unusual for the two sisters to agree on what Emerald wanted to wear.

Emerald convinced her to buy the matching shoes for both outfits and then the ladies returned home after some food shopping. They chatted, well Emerald chatted and Hermione listened, all afternoon and when it was time for dinner Emerald went to have her shower while Hermione cooked. Hermione found herself smiling while cutting up the vegetables and she knew it was because she was around family and she made the decision to tell Emerald to visit more often. She set the table for two and served out the food while calling out that dinner was ready.

Emerald walked in and even though Hermione wasn't looking at her, she knew something was wrong straight away. Hermione turned around to see Emerald holding her diary. She realised straight away she had left it on the floor after her bath and she must have forgotten to pack it away.

"We don't have to go to the wedding sis, umm if you don't want to I mean..." Hermione sat heavily in her seat, she realised that Emerald must have read a fair bit of the book.

"How much did you read?" Hermione's voice was even strange to her.

Emerald started to cry, "I'm sorry I didn't mean too, I mean I did mean to obviously I opened it, but I had no idea Mione, none at all and then I just couldn't stop. How could you have kept this to yourself for so long? Why keep this secret Mione, you know you could've trusted me?" Emerald continued to cry but Hermione couldn't comfort her. It was quite a while later before anyone broke the silence.

"It happened a long time ago Emmie, I'm over it now."

Emerald was shocked. She looked at the stranger in front of her, the person who had been her sister all her life, and she was dumb-founded.

"No you're clearly not over it Hermione, not over it at all. You've stopped everything, No you've stopped living and that is not healthy." Hermione didn't feel the traitorous tears escape her eyes but she knew they were there. The girls ate in silence and then Emerald collected the plates and set them to clean themselves. She poured her sister a drink and sat down on the lounge with her and she waited.

Hermione finished her whiskey and then while staring at the fire place, she began.

"It was so long ago Emmie but I remember it like it was yesterday. The worst was after the war, after I woke up in the hospital. All I wanted was to talk to Harry to tell him about our baby but for some reason he blocked me out." Hermione summoned the bottle of whiskey, poured herself some more and continued.

"I just couldn't understand why he was so angry, why he wouldn't just listen to me." Hermione took a deep breath and then looked into her glass of whiskey.

"I tried to contact him, tried to make him listen but for some reason he was unwilling to listen. At one point I cornered him and grabbed his shirt and screamed in his face to talk to me and he grunted back the strangest thing..." Hermione paused again obviously recalling all of this was so painful. "What did he say Mione?" Emerald asked quietly.

"He said you made a decision that affected my life, your life and my child's so now live with it, I'll never ever forgive you Hermione, never."

There was silence for a long while then Emerald asked her what happened next.

"I never tried again Emmie, never, he made it clear I had to stay away from him so I did." Silence again for a few more minutes.

"It was really hard at first, hard being alone. Then after a while I needed it, it was becoming more and more annoying being around people. His name just seemed to pop into conversations on a daily basis so I decided to work from home and its been like this for years. I prefer it like this though."

Emmie shook her head clearly disagreeing with her sister's decisions but decided it was not the right time to tackle it.

"And that is the whole story. I'm sorry you had to find out like this, you're too young to deal with this stuff, only 14 what am I thinking?" Hermione scolded herself but Emerald sat up and hugged her sister.

"Mione I'm not too young, I can handle this especially since you're really all I have. Mum and dad are always so busy and more importantly I'm all you have so don't forget it." Hermione smiled and hugged her.

"I think we should go to the wedding though Mione, you need closure, you need to know its really over."

"Oh I know it's over, that's for sure. But I do agree, I should go to the wedding it could be interesting to say the least."


	2. Chapter 2

A web of deceit.

Chapter 2

Hermione didn't have a great sleep but what she did get, was solid. She awoke with the sun streaming in through her window and the smell of bacon and eggs filled her nostrils. For a brief second she thought how nice it was to have someone living here with her but she quickly dismissed that thought.

Hermione stretched and sat up out of bed, the dress she was to wear today was hanging on the wardrobe glittering in the sunlight reminding her of the days events. It was very pretty and something she never normally wore, but there's a first time for everything. Hermione had a quick shower to wake up and went out to sit with her sister.

The morning moved on quicker than Hermione would have hoped and the 5pm wedding was fast approaching. The girls had their showers and Emerald sat Hermione down to so she could do her hair. Emerald was quiet and Hermione knew she had a question on her mind.

"OK spill Emmy?" Emerald looked at her in the mirror and swallowed a couple of times.

"OK Mione, what are you going to do?" Hermione looked at her sister and even though she knew exactly what she was asking about, she decided to ask anyway.

"What do you mean Emm?"

"Oh you know what I mean, what are you going to do if Harry is there?" Hermione sighed and stood up, she leant in closer to the mirror and adjusted a couple of strands hanging down on her neck and then turned around to her sister and she took her shoulders in her hands.

"Firstly, you can pretty much be guaranteed he will be there and considering its Ron's wedding, he will more than likely be the best man. So I will be polite, I will say hello and I will be very interested to meet his wife." Emerald gasped.

"Wife, what wife?"

"Well Emerald I highly doubt that 'The Harry Potter' would still be single after all these years. I am pretty sure he found someone else to be his wife. His one wish was to have a family of his own and I took that from him."

Emerald looked at her sister and couldn't believe the utter sadness in her face and voice. If she had one wish it would be to see her sister happy. Emerald leant forward and hugged her sister tightly and then they got dressed and then after one quick look at each other, they apparated straight to the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

Hermione and Emerald landed gracefully at the receiving area. It was full of people but they were moving through a flowered gate which turned out to be a specially made portal that took the guests straight to the stairway out the front of Hogwarts. Hermione looked around as she landed and the memories came flooding back. She looked over the great lake and remembered when her, Ron and Harry went skinny dipping in second year. Hermione glanced over and saw the Quidditch pitch and smiled as she remembered the numerous games that she cheered for Harry and Ron. She looked further around and saw the tree covered outdoor area where she spent many many days studying with the boys. Actually she studied while they goofed around. They walked inside the hall and Hermione took in a deep breath. That wonderful, familiar, old scent that filled her nostrils comforted her immediately. They followed the crowd into the great hall and took their seats. Emerald saw some friends from her Runes class and she jumped up to greet them.

Hermione allowed her eyes to scan to the front of the hall and not surprisingly, she saw him straight away. He had his back to her but she knew that physique and messy mop of black hair anywhere. He stood next to Ron, obviously his best man, and listened as Ron chatted. From where she was sitting she could see two more men but she didn't recognise them. Hermione looked around and she could see some Professors that she knew and also the Weasley's taking pride of place in the front row. She couldn't miss that red hair if she tried.

Professor Dumbledore appeared and just his presence made the Hall quiet. Hermione felt Emerald slide into the seat next to her and she grabbed her hand squeezing it.

"Are you ok?" she mouthed and Hermione smiled and nodded. The ceremony began and all eyes turned to the back of the Great Hall to see Luna walk down to meet her soon to be husband.

She looked stunning, a typical princess bride. Her dress had thick shoulder straps that were covered in beading which went all the way down to her waist over the bodice. It was tight fitted to the waist and then puffed out with what seemed like hundreds of layers of sparkly tulle. It floated around her body with such grace she looked like an elegant little fairy. Her veil was short, only down to her waist and it was being held in place with a diamond tiara which was perfectly placed. She started her long walk down the Hall with oohs and ahh's following her but the only thing her eyes were set on was the adoring look Ron Weasley was giving her. Hermione looked at him and deep down, very deep down, inside of her soul she wished that somebody would look at her like that. She knew who she wanted but she wouldn't even admit that to herself.

The ceremony continued on and it wasn't until almost toward the end that Harry turned to the side and she caught a glimpse of his profile. Her heart skipped a bit and she was annoyed that her body still reacted to him involuntarily. She couldn't take her eyes off him and she found she smiled when he did. The ceremony ended and the bridal party turned around to face the crowd and as he turned she watched every single movement he made. The amazing thing was he locked eyes with her immediately and she froze, completely locked in his trance. Even if her life depended on it she couldn't look away. Eventually he broke his stare and started greeting the guests who were walking past. Hermione shook her head to clear the fuzz and as she did she noticed someone was staring at her from the front. As soon as she focused she realised it was Mrs Weasley and the look was far from welcoming and warm.

That was odd, why would Mrs Weasley be staring at her like that.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hermione watched the long queue of people greet the wedding party and she decided it was probably for the best if she didn't go up. She stood up and smoothed her dress out and turned to walk down the aisle and out of the Hall but Emerald grabbed her hand.

"No Hermione you're not going outside, that would be rude!" Emerald was already dragging her sister down to the waiting guests and a million things were running through her head. While she was trying not to make a complete fool of herself and look ahead knowing exactly where he was positioned in relation to her current position, she felt eyes on her and lost the fight to look. As she did. she came face to face with a stunning looking man. He was considerably taller than her, maybe over 6 foot, and he had very dark brown hair that fell down to his shoulders. He had tanned skin but it looked like he had just come back from a trip abroad. He was quite handsome but the one thing that struck Hermione was his deep blue eyes. She felt her hand being squeezed tighter and then realised Emerald was trying to get her attention. She tore her eyes away from the stunning creature who was standing at the end of the wedding party queue but was not dressed as if he was in the party.

"See something you like Mione?" Emerald smirked.

"Me ! No! why would you even say that?" Hermione felt the heat raise to her cheeks and couldn't stop the blush spread down to her chest. It only made it worse that Emerald was laughing at her. They slowly shuffled forward and Emerald had met a friend who was chatting constantly about the wedding so Hermione fazed out. Hermione looked up and saw that the men were closest to her and she would have to say something to Harry once she got there.

But what?

Hey Harry how's it going? Glad to see you ? God NO she couldn't talk to him so casually, there was way too much past between them. She decided to just wing it and shake his hand with a casual nod, yes that would definitely be suitable she decided.

She approached the last person on the lane who had red chair and then she realised it must have been one of Ron's brothers.

The man turned and as soon as he laid his eyes on Hermione he yelled, "OH dearest Merlin if it isn't the famous Hermione Granger, woman where have you been? And mind you looking good!" Hermione could've died, it was George Weasley.

"Hi George, it's good to see you," she put out her hand to shake it but he shook his head No and he pulled her in for a bone crushing hug. She knew all eyes were on her but she didn't dare look.

"You, Miss Granger or I hope its still Miss?" Hermione could see Harry look up quickly at this question and with her eyes still on George she avoided her answer so he continued.

"... well you must save me a dance tonight." Hermione smiled and stepped closer to the next person, only one step away from Harry. Her stomach leapt and her heart was threatening to beat out of her chest. The second man turned around and even Hermione couldn't help the smile creep onto her face, it was Neville Longbottom. One of her long time friends and he leant in and hugged her so tightly.

"Oh Hermione I can not even begin to tell you how happy I am to see you again."

"Hi Neville, it's great to see you too." She leant up and kissed his cheek.

"Well if George here doesn't whisk you away into the night, we can catch up at the reception party."

"I'd like that Nev,"

This was it, the man who haunted her nights, plagued her dreams and broke her heart was right in front of her and she didn't know what to do. He had not changed, just aged slightly, well it had been almost 15 years, but he still had that certain air about him.

"Hermione," he struggled to get the name off his lips but he put his hand out to shake hers and she complied.

"Hi,..." but she froze and after what seemed like forever Emerald jumped in.

"Hi Mr Potter, congratulations on your best friends wedding." Emerald said and smiled. She stepped forward to Ron and Luna but Hermione was frozen. Harry looked at her and for the life of her she couldn't place his look. She was interrupted by Ron who grabbed her hand and pulled her into his body. It was at that moment that she realised she was still holding Harry's hand and she flushed even more.

"Hermione Granger you wicked, wicked woman, why haven't I seen you in forever?" Ron looked genuinely saddened by this and Hermione smiled and placed her hand gently on his cheek.

"Oh Ron, I have missed you so much. Congratulations on your wedding, may you and Luna have many, many years of happiness." Ron teared up and nodded, afraid to speak but he hugged her again and then she moved on to Luna.

Hermione never really had a lot to do with Luna, she was in the final battle but those were days when they couldn't take the luxury of getting to know others personally. She laughed at that thought considering it was getting to know Harry personally that got her into this predicament in the first place. She congratulated her and then moved to Ginny who was the main bridesmaid.

Ginny leant forward to hug her but Hermione didn't really know what to say. It was because of her feelings for Harry that things started to change towards the end of the war. For all Hermione knew she was probably married to him by now.

Hermione didn't know the others so she slipped out of the line and went outside to get some fresh air. She sat down on one of the sandstone benches on the perimeter of the hall and let her back rest on the cold sandstone while she lit her well needed cigarette.

"Am I interrupting anything Professor Granger?" Hermione's eyes flew open, who here even knew she had studied further to become a Professor in her field of research? She never used that title as she wasn't really interested in that type of thing.

Her eyes rested on a familiar face and she smiled.

"Professor McGonnagel, how are you?" Hermione quickly flicked her cigarette away, stood and shook her hand and then she noticed the striking man whom she noticed in the hall was approaching them. Professor McGonnagel followed her eyesight and smiled.

"Ahhh have you met my grandson yet Professor Granger?" Hermione shook her head but was still surprised. The man approached and smiled at Hermione with his perfect teeth and gorgeous features.

"Hi I'm James, James McGonnagel. I've heard plenty about you Professor, your research is fascinating." Hermione was still shaking his hand, completely speechless and looking at her old Professor for some support. When it was clear she wasn't going to get any, she snapped out of her trance.

"I'm sorry, you have me at a disadvantage, I didn't know Professor McGonnagel had children let alone a Grandson, and please call me Hermione, I don't normally use my title." she huffed out a little embarrassed laugh.

"Well you should Hermione, you should be proud of your achievements, I for one am very impressed." Hermione couldn't believe this man in front of her and she blushed not used to being complimented by strangers.

At that moment Professor McGonnagel interrupted. "OK James, let me speak to Professor Granger then you can accompany her to the reception area."

_Oh Sweet Merlin, this is going to be awkward._ Hermione couldn't believe what was happening. Professor McGonnagel took a seat next to her on the outdoor seat.

"Hermione dear, I have been following your career and must say you have exceeded even my expectations dear. I'm very proud of you, as is my grandson and just a little infatuated I might add!" Hermione looked at her and was completely surprised.

"Professor, thank you for the compliments but I haven't really done that much, I keep to myself these days..."

"Yes I'm aware of that!" It didn't go unnoticed to Hermione that the tone she used was a little harsh.

"... and I don't think I deserve such compliments from you or your grandson." Minerva told Hermione to walk with her as more people were congregating outside. They started walking down to the Great Lake.

"Hermione as much as I have been proud of you and your scholastic achievements, I have also been increasingly worried with your rather unacceptable self imposed reclusion." Hermione didn't answer.

"I have an offer that I want you to consider, really consider young lady." Hermione looked at her and waited to hear what she had to propose.

"Next semester, Professor Dumbledore will retire and I am taking over his position as Head of Hogwarts. I want you to take my position as Professor of Transfiguration."

Hermione stopped walking and a million things flashed through her mind.

"What about my research Professor?" Professor McGonnagel smiled and tilted her head at her like she was a child who had to work out the mistake they had just made. There was silence for quite a while.

"Hermione your research, although valuable, is not fulfilling your life. It hasn't for years and you know that. You need to be challenged, you need excitement, you need a life my dear child."

Hermione felt a panic fill her body and the tears ran down her cheek.

"I just don't know how to anymore." Hermione felt the pain of being alone and the pain of locking out the world finally take it's toll on her. She cried and let all the pain go while her Professor hugged her tightly. After a while she calmed down and Professor McGonnagel gave her an enchanted hanky that fixed up her red eyes and redid her make up. She looked perfect but the two ladies knew better, they knew she was far from better and this was only a small step in her recovery. The two ladies sat in silence and looked out over the lake for quite some time. Hermione trying to think of a reason why she should say no, but not finding one and Professor McGonnagel waiting, knowing she had stepped in at the right time in her young protege's life.

"It's time Hermione!" Hermione nodded clearly understanding the double meaning and forced a grin onto her face. The two ladies walked up to the hall in time to watch the photos being taken outside the hall near the covered archways.

The photographer posed everyone and all of the photos looked amazing. She tried very hard not to stare at Harry but it was proving to be more than a little difficult. Although he was making it a bit easier by not looking at her at all.

Hermione watched Ginny approach Harry and from Hermione's position she saw her stand very close to his body almost intimate. Then the photographer signalled for the two of them to take their photos and as much as it pained her beyond belief, watching them together she knew they made a great couple and probably already were.

A voice from beside her interrupted her thoughts, it was James.

"They look like the perfect couple, don't they?" James said as he looked at Luna and Ron hugging and whispering sweet nothings to each other but Hermione was looking at Harry and Ginny. She looked at how he towered over her petite body in the photos making her look like he was her saviour, her protector... her lover.

"Yes they certainly do," Hermione looked down and started walking away but James followed.

"So tell me about yourself Mr McGonnagel?" Hermione smiled nicely at him and he smiled back.

They chatted for quite a while and Hermione discovered even though he seemed to be infatuated with her, he was actually quite an intelligent young man and not a silly lovestruck boy like she originally thought.

James knew about her research because he was also into similar research. His papers were on developing protection and repairing spells against unforgivable curses. This obviously peaked her interest and the two scientists talked for quite a while but not out of the vision of a certain dark haired man whose irritation was gradually building.

The photos were all done and the guests entered the Great Hall which had now been converted into a grand reception hall. The sides of the hall were draped with flowing material in all the colours of the rainbow. Behind the material there were millions of small white lights twinkling along with the flow of the material. The top of the ceiling was full of stars all twinkling along with the coloured walls. Hermione smiled and as she found her seat she glanced at the name tags next to her, thankfully James wasn't at her table. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him, she just wanted to get through the night with her own thoughts.

The speeches were nice, Mrs Weasley's speech was touching and there wasn't a dry eye in the hall. She talked about the death of Arthur and how he would've been so proud of all his children. She also discussed the antics that Fred would've put Luna through and there were a few giggles throughout the hall. It was quite nice but it was Harry's speech that Hermione waited on edge for. She wanted some clue as to whether he was happy in his life, happy with Ginny... happy without her.

Harry stood up and sheepishly took the microphone. He kept his eyes focussed on Ron and Luna, he wouldn't turn around to talk to the guests at all.

" Ummm, firstly I want to thank you Ron for asking me to be your best man. As everyone here knows we have been friends since we were 11 years old. I'm not going to bore you all with the antics from our past, I'm sure they are well documented by now," there were a few laughs around the guests.

"... anyway I will jump ahead to when you and Luna told me you were getting married. I was not surprised, knowing that you would be the first to get married, or at least I think you are..." Harry turned slightly and made eye contact with Hermione for a brief second and she gasped.

"... anyway Luna I just want you to know that Ron loves you so deeply, so passionately and so truly that you will never ever have to worry. You will have the happily ever after that you deserve and that the rest of us can only dream about. Could everyone raise their glasses and celebrate this wonderful couples wedding and future happiness. Cheers." Everyone raised their glasses and toasted the happy couple. The other speeches continued but Hermione didn't really listen she was actually quite saddened by Harry's speech and her own solitary life hit her hard. The night continued and even though she answered Emerald when they chatted, she could not tell you what they spoke about. Hermione was picking at her dessert when someone plonked down in the seat next to her. She turned to look at him and smiled at Ron's smile and obvious elation.

"Well well well Hermione, you young lady have been quite the stranger!" Hermione smiled and Ron continued.

"So what have you been doing for the past 15 years or so?" Ron and Hermione chatted for about ten minutes and when the band started playing a song that he liked Ron stood up and put out his hand t ask her to dance. Even though it was against her better judgement she allowed Ron to take her to the dance floor. She scanned the floor and noticed Harry was dancing with Ginny. They looked very happy.

Ron chatted about how he finally got together with Luna. He asked about her life and she was vague, truth be told she never did anything anyway so she wasn't lying. As the song ended she was tapped on the shoulder and turned around to see Luna dancing with Harry.

"Hermione can I have a dance with my husband?" Luna said in a lullaby voice. Hermione smiled and stepped aside turning to go back to her seat.

"No Hermione come and dance with Harry, you know catch up on old times." Hermione dared not speak but she saw Harry put out his hand and she hesitantly took it.

Harry led her to the middle of the dance floor and turned very slowly to face her. He put out his other hand and she took it while he slipped his arm around her waist. Harry slowly but firmly pulled her body into his and he placed his arm securely around her. His started rocking to the music and she followed. Hermione could feel his body against hers and the memories came flooding back, she remembered those nights in the safe houses and that night at Grimmauld Place. Unfortunately bringing those memories back also brought back the painful ones.

"Why did you just tense up?" His voice was sweet, deep and sexy and Hermione remembered it well.

"Tense up? I didn't!" Hermione hoped he wouldn't push the issue.

"Yes you did, you just tensed up, what were you thinking about just then?" Harry pulled back and looked into her eyes. Hermione was trying to concentrate on formulating an answer but with his face so close and his piercing green eyes burrowing into her soul she couldn't. His hand was gently holding hers, his fingers slowly manoeuvring around her palm and through her fingers. It was so soft and gentle and so discreet that nobody would've even noticed but she knew because it was driving her insane.

"Hermione, you haven't answered me?" Harry pulled her back into his body and continued speaking into her hair near her ear.

"I know it's been a while but I thought we could talk about anything..."

"Talk about anything? You are joking!" Hermione huffed.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Harry if there's one thing I know is that we, you and me, can certainly NOT talk about anything. What ever we had is gone Harry, long gone." Harry didn't answer, he just kept on holding her tight and swaying to the music. As the song ended she started to pull back but he kept her hand in place.

"Sorry Hermione I thought time healed all wounds, obviously not, not for you and not for me." Hermione nodded and stepped away from him.

She walked over to her table and picked up her bag and walked outside. She needed some air. It was a stupid idea to come here tonight, what did she expect to happen?

Hermione approached the stone chair she was sitting on earlier that day and sat down in the dark lighting up a cigarette. It was cool but she was feeling quite hot and clammy so she welcomed it.

"Oh Merlin, why did I come here?" Hermione sighed and let the frustration of her life get to her and she concentrated on the glow of her cigarette. After a while she pulled herself together and stood up to take a walk to the lake. Hermione wandered down there and watched as the moonlight glistened on the water. It was truly beautiful so she sat and admired the view. She heard someone approach and knew it was him before she even looked.

"I don't get it Hermione, what did you expect from me?" His voice was angry. She looked up at him and answered honestly.

"Nothing Harry, absolutely nothing." He grunted at her response and turned around as if to walk away but he didn't. He stopped and moved to in front of her and bent down so he was at her level.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry grunted out and when she shrugged her shoulders he grabbed hers and stood up taking her with him.

"Harry leave me alone, go back to the wedding. I didn't ask for you to come here." for some reason Harry exploded.

"YEAH exactly, you NEVER asked about anything did you Hermione, YOU the great all mighty Miss Granger decided that you didn't need to ask me about MY SON did you?" Hermione couldn't believe it, "How dare you Harry, how dare you? It wasn't my choice..."

"NO of course not, the goody two shoes Hermione couldn't be caught being pregnant, and certainly not to the stupid, dumb... broken Harry Potter?" Hermione was rendered speechless and it took a few seconds before it all sunk in.

"Is that what you thought, you thought I deliberately lost our child because of your low self esteem? OH MY MERLIN you bastard how dare you?" Harry stared at her as if she had two heads and it took a few more minutes for him to realise she said "lost".

"So is that how you live with yourself Hermione?" Harry was still holding her arms and she shook him off her and folded her arms.

"What are you talking about?" Her tone was quick and snappy.

"You live with yourself by telling yourself you LOST our baby, not that you killed it?" Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing, the shock of hearing those words knocked her to her feet and she felt her knees slowly giving way. She slowly went down till she was sitting on the rock behind her knees and Harry couldn't find it in himself to help her. Hermione started sobbing uncontrollably and then she got angry. She stood up and slapped Harry across the face. He wasn't expecting it and the force nearly knocked him off his feet.

"You son of a bitch, I LOST MY baby when I got cursed saving your life. I didn't even know I was pregnant, I found out when I woke up in the hospital. IN THE HOSPITAL HARRY, I woke up and found out I lost MY son, our son. I never knew" Harry looked at her and he seemed to be confused. It was like the story he knew wasn't matching up.

"Don't you ever, ever say I killed my child because I lost everything that day Harry, I lost everything." Hermione turned and walked away leaving a confused Harry behind her.

Half way up the hill she turned around and stormed back to him again.

"Harry my life ended the day I lost our baby, and its a shame I can't say the same about you. When I needed you, when I needed your arms around me, when I needed your shoulder to cry on, YOU weren't there. I was alone and will always be alone so leave me alone now." Harry eyes glistened with tears even though she couldn't see them.

Hermione walked back up to Hogwarts and found Professor McGonnagel waiting for her in the doorway. Hermione spoke before she had a chance to ask her anything,

"Not now Professor, I'm sorry I just can't do this tonight." Professor McGonnagel nodded and told her she could go to her office and apparate home. Emerald was staying for school the next morning so Hermione left.

Harry approached the Hall a short time after Hermione and saw Professor McGonnagel waiting by the outside doors.

"Evening Professor," Harry greeted her and she motioned for him to follow her. They walked out of the earshot of the few scattered guests.

"Potter, sometimes we hold onto things that are not always correct..." Harry went to interrupt but she held up her hand and he stopped instantly.

"Before you judge Hermione for her actions, you need to know the whole story Harry." Harry looked at her confused.

"Take this and at your own time watch it, but please watch it with an open mind. Unfortunately Harry you have been caught in a complicated web of deceit." Professor McGonnagel handed him a small vial with a silvery liquid inside and he knew instantly what it was. He nodded and slipped the vial into his shirt pocket and when he looked up he was alone.

The next few days were hard for Hermione. She cried, she threw things around the room and then she cried some more. It actually got to the point when she actually couldn't cry anymore. She had no more tears. Professor McGonnagel's offer still lurked in the back of her mind but she kept pushing it back trying to avoid the inevitable chore set before her.

The days blended into weeks which blended into months. Hermione had gotten back into her research and solitary life with ease. One afternoon she was sitting on her balcony having a cigarette and a scotch. The weather had changed now and it was bitterly cold. She normally only spent a few minutes outside, just long enough to finish her cigarette and then she would scoot back inside. Today was different though, she stepped out into the chill and instantly felt like someone was watching her. She turned around to look over the balcony but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Hermione shook it off and quickly finished her cigarette. She stepped back inside and then a pounding on her front door frightened her. After she composed her heart and stopped it from beating out of her chest she walked over and opened her door. It was a strange sensation for Hermione to answer her door. Nobody visited her at all, well only Emerald who normally came through the floo network but nobody knocked. She approached the door and opened it quickly to see a smiling James standing in the doorway.

"Well well Miss Granger, you are a hard lady to find." James' blue eyes were piercing and Hermione blushed. She invited him in only after being reminded and then she made him tea.

"So why are you here James?" Hermione smiled but it was clear she wanted him to get straight to the point.

"I volunteered to find you as my grandmother is becoming impatient, she wanted an answer to her offer."

"Oh I see, James to be honest I hadn't given it much thought." Hermione stood up and walked over to her burning fire and folded her arms.

"Yes you have Hermione, you've made your decision ..." James stood up and walked up behind her.

"... what you're trying to do is to find an excuse NOT to come!" He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and slid them up and down her arms and she shivered at his touch.

"Hermione I have something to tell you but I'm pretty sure you're going to be upset?" Hermione turned around and looked at him with a confused look on her face.

"What do you mean?" James stepped back and turned away from her.

"James what is it?"

"Firstly I want you to let my grandmother know you will take the job, I want your decision to be of your own accord and not because you're upset with me." Hermione was becoming more and more confused.

"James I think you had better tell me what's on your mind or leave, I don't have time for games." Hermione walked over towards her door and put her hand on the door handle.

"I heard your conversation with Harry Potter the other night!" Hermione froze.

Without turning around she asked him what he heard.

"I was walking down to see if you were OK and I saw you arguing with someone. I stepped back and stood behind a tree not expecting you to start walking up straight away and honestly I didn't hear what you were talking about but when you stopped on the hillside and called back to him, well I was right behind the tree next to you." Hermione couldn't speak for the shock had stopped all conscious thought.

"Hermione I'm sorry... please talk to me?" Hermione shook her head and opened the door signalling the end of his visit. He walked over to the door and grabbed his jacket he had placed on the lounge chair and stopped at the door. He turned and looked at her and spoke softly while he stroked her cheek.

"I only wanted to tell you that you're never alone." Hermione moved away from his touch and he dropped his hand and left without another word.

Hermione sat down and wrote her reply to Professor McGonnagel.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hermione started working at Hogwarts that September and after a few months of settling in and getting herself used to being around other people, she started to feel normal again. A great part of that normality was due to James. He was a persistent young man to say the least and after weeks and weeks of asking she finally agreed to a date. It was an extremely slow start but that suited James as he was quite entangled in his research. They went on a few dinner dates and had some lunches together but it hadn't moved past first base. Hermione had very deep scars that James was aware existed but he didn't pursue it or try to hurry things along.

It was during the winter break that Hermione was having breakfast in the Great Hall when she noticed a small article on the bottom right hand side of the Quibbler.

_The Quibbler has breaking news, _

_The Saviour of the wizarding world, Harry Potter has _

_broken off his long term engagement to his childhood_

_sweetheart Ginerva Weasley. Even after many denials,_

_the two started dating straight after the War when _

_Harry Potter defeated He Who must not be Named._

_The couple had never set a wedding date which just showed_

_Potter must not have been serious about the relationship_

_much to the obvious distress of the only_

_Weasley daughter and her family._

_Many years before the couple started dating, I reported that_

_the young Potter was romantically linked to his female trio partner,_

_Hermione Granger. The young lovers denied the romance_

_but considering Potter is available now, I doubt it will be long before he _

_makes his move. But will Potter be prepared for some competition? _

_It has been confirmed by our sources that Professor Granger,_

_now a permanent employee of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,_

_has taken a partner. This mystery man is 'much' younger than herself and even though_

_we have tried to find his identity, he still remains a secret._

_Our offices have tried unsuccessfully to get statements from Potter,_

_The Weasley Family and Professor Granger but to no avail._

_Stay tuned for more information following this tragic love triangle._

_From Rita Skeeter._

Hermione could not believe it, how did she always manage to get in the middle of a drama without even trying. She decided it would be best if she took it to the Head mistress before a scandal erupted.

Hermione twisted her hands in her lap while she waited patiently for Professor McGonnagel to read the article.

"Hermione, its just Rita causing trouble, or at least she is trying to. The best thing you can do is just ignore her, she wants you to bite. One good thing is she obviously hasn't linked James to me yet and the longer the better." Hermione nodded and after a few more pointers of how to avoid Skeeter, she left her office. She walked down the corridors chatting intermittently to one of her students or other lecturers and slowly made her way back to her quarters. Professor McGonnagel's old room, now Hermione's was quite large and spacious. She had a small office set out in one corner looking out over the Great Lake and her bed faced the mountain range on the other side of the Lake. It had a beautiful relaxing atmosphere and gave her the peace and quiet she longed for. Hermione sat down on one of the small lounge chairs she had near the windows and opened the paper once more. She read the article again which only caused more questions to form in her mind, more questions that wouldn't be answered. She was startled by a knock on the door and knowing that only authorised personnel can enter the dorms, she called out enter.

Emerald walked in and as soon as Hermione saw her face she knew she had also read the article.

"Emmy, please don't concern yourself with this, it's ok..."

"Mione, do you even know what this means?" Hermione stopped and slowly shook her head.

"It means, my dear big sister, Harry is free, free to be with you finally. Hermione this is awesome." Hermione was gobsmacked, she stared at her sister like she was an alien.

"What? Why are you looking at me like I have two heads? Come on Hermione you can't possibly tell me you haven't thought of this, this is what you have been waiting for for the past 15 years." Emerald sat down on the armchair that Hermione was still sitting on. The words of what Emerald said had sunk in and Hermione stood up in a rush.

"Emerald how could you possibly think I would think that? There is no place in this universe where Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are together, no where at all. There is way too much water under the bridge Emerald, way way too much water." Hermione walked over to her window and looked outside watching the snow fall gently over the grounds of Hogwarts. She glanced down and saw Professor McGonnagel and what looked like Mrs Weasley in a very heated discussion on the front steps of the building. Hermione had no idea why she did what she did but she marched down stairs in an attempt to put this mess behind her. As she approached the two arguing women, she could hear the conversation.

"Where is she Minerva, I want Granger down here right now!" Professor McGonnagel tried to reason with Molly but it was proving impossible.

"I'm here Mrs Weasley, if you have some problem with me I suggest you..." Hermione was cut off.

"Hermione Granger, why isn't it you couldn't just leave well enough alone." Mrs Weasley was so annoyed she was panting and flushed.

"Mrs Weasley I have no idea what I am supposed to have done but..." again she was cut off.

"YOU ruined my daughters life that's what.."

"I haven't done anything to Ginny, what are you talking about?" Hermione was genuinely confused.

Molly stopped and seemed to be thinking over things in her head.

"You were supposed to go away Hermione, you were supposed to leave Harry to marry Ginny. That was the plan and you ruined it." Hermione looked at her and stepped in closer.

"What do you mean go away, what does that even mean?" Molly had the decency to look away and slightly ashamed. Hermione pushed on.

"Listen Molly, for some reason you have hated me with a passion since the war and I have no idea why. I have never done anything to you or your family and especially your daughter so I have no idea why this hatred is directed at me. Please tell me what I did that was so wrong?" Hermione ended up pleading and realised that Professor McGonnagel had left them alone.

"Did Harry break off the engagement because he is seeing you again?" Hermione grunted loudly and yelled NO. She realised she startled Molly so she took a few breaths and started again.

"Molly listen I have not seen nor heard from Harry since Ron's wedding. He has made no effort to contact me nor have I him so whatever the reason behind the ending of their engagement I think you should talk to them. It has nothing to do with me at all."

Molly looked around and seemed to be calming down.

"You just ruined everything Hermione, my life was supposed to be perfect. All my kids are happy except for Ginny, she is the baby and she's the one who needed the most help. All she ever wanted was Harry and at the end of the war, you nearly ruined everything but I fixed that little problem..."

"YOU did what Molly? You fixed what?" Hermione's head was completely spinning and she felt like she was going to vomit.

"Yes Molly tell Hermione what you did? Tell her how you sacrificed someone's life for your daughter?" Harry walked up behind the women and the shocked look on Molly's face was enough to tell Hermione she needed to hear what she had to say. When it looked like she wasn't going to say anything, Harry pushed her further.

"Shall I tell her Molly, tell her what you did that day she lost our baby?" Hermione gasped and turned to stare at Molly.

"What happened?" her voice even shocked herself.

Molly started to fidget and it looked like she was going to leave but when Harry placed a firm hand on her arm, she snapped.

"OK I did it, I overheard Poppy Pomfrey talking to Minerva about Hermione losing that baby. I knew Harry would stay with you once he heard that, whether it was pity or something else. I just knew what I had to do, so I told Harry what he needed to hear. The rest you did on your own Hermione, you drove him away, you made your own life. I am not to blame for what happened to you." Molly was so defensive but Hermione didn't care.

"You told Harry what he needed to hear, and what may I ask was that Molly?" The fury in her voice was clearly evident.

"Its over now Hermione, it will change nothing." Hermione clenched her fists and stomped her feet. She stepped closer to Molly and pointed in her chest.

"It changes everything MOLLY. My life stopped the day I lost my baby and my best friend in the whole world wasn't there to help me through, he wasn't there to dry my endless tears, to hold my hand when I couldn't go on. My best friend hated me because of something you said so yes Molly it will change everything." Harry stepped forward and took Hermione's hand in hers but she shook it out of his grip.

"Tell me Molly!"

"It was for everyone's own good.."

"What did you tell him, what did you say to Harry?" Harry's head dropped and he again reached for her hand this time holding it firmly in his hand.

"She told me you asked to get rid of our baby, she said you told Madam Pomfrey that your life is just beginning and you didn't want to be tied to someone like me, someone broken, You said you didn't want a child to a murderer." Hermione was gasping while fighting the tears escaping down her cheeks. She felt her knees weaken and she started to slide down to the floor. Harry tried to hold her but he ended folding down with her.

Hermione sobbed and held onto Harry for dear life. A million thoughts were going through her head but the thing that stood out the most was that Harry thought she thought of him as a murderer.

"Harry it never happened, none of that happened Harry, you have to believe me." Hermione sobbed and all Harry could say was that's OK baby, it's ok. Hermione cried and cried and then at one point she turned and looked at Molly who had the decency to look remorseful.

"Molly, you should of never interfered in my life. I never did anything to you, I never hurt you like you have hurt me. I can never get back what you took from me, never."

"I just wanted what was best for my family..."

"At the destruction of another's life, how could you?" Hermione was so hurt she just couldn't believe what she was hearing. Molly brushed down her clothes and fixed her hair and turned to walk away. Obviously she had done enough damage.

"Molly, by the way Ginny left me for another man!" She stopped in her tracks and spun around to look at Harry.

"No that's not possible, she tells me everything, she would've told me." Harry snorted.

"Yes well looks like we are all a little disappointed in a Weasley today!"

Epilogue

It took many years of healing for Hermione to get back to normal and not the normal she had been living for the past 16 years, a normal life where she was having fun, laughing, and being alive. After persisting for many months Hermione finally went out on a date with Harry and they were never apart again. They were inseparable and after twelve months they married in a secret ceremony with Hermione's parents and a few friends of Harry's along with Professor McGonnagel officiating the emotional service. Thanks to Hermione's dearest friend James McGonnagel, Hermione undertook many months of research and testing and finally the damage that was done to her body from the curse was healed. Harry named their first son after his dad but James McGonnagel swears the baby was named after him. Hermione then went on to have twin girls, Lily and Rose. Since the pregnancy with the twins was very demanding on her body, they didn't extend their family anymore, more than happy with their three children. James and Emerald married soon after Emerald finished training as a Healer and James loved being a part of the family.

Years later Hermione made her peace with the Weasley's, thanks to Ginny and Neville pushing for peace. Ron and Luna had seven children and the two couples lived as neighbours with the children growing up together like the three friends who were inseparable in early years but due to lies and deceit were separated. Life has a way of healing old scars and repairing wounds.


End file.
